Rented Bliss

Friday, October 5, 2012

Fall is slightly appearing in a city nestled right in the heart of the dessert. I keep ordering salted caramel mocha's and unpacking sweatshirts in hopes of willing fall to show up. So far no such luck. So I am living vicariously through these beautiful fall inspired images of past events. Hope the inspiring colors inspires you too.

Love the simplicity of using over sized tall cylinders to create dramatic centerpieces.

A great pop of color in a lounge can be off set with a simple bloom to coordinate.

Dahlias are in season and so very vibrant with their jewel toned shades.

Lighting can add so much ambiance to decor areas like specialty drinks or a cake table. Inexpensive way to create great atmosphere and have some home decor later.

More dahlias, 1 bloom per vase paired with the right linen can be simple and beautiful.

Fall bridal bouquets can be full of textured flowers like green goddess calla Lillie's and star of Bethlehem. Use fresh herbs like mint or lavender and mix it up with twine or double wide satin ribbons in jewel tones.

A fun accent for lounges or food stations. These fun containers are actually white boards with small test tubes. Fill each tube with a variety of blooms like bear grass and fern curls.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

I am a firm believer in creating original themes. No need to do what has already been done or even worse, what happens to be on the shelf at the discount party store.
That may be the quickest route, but you can create a beautiful styled party within budget (and I mean dollar store-crafts store budget) with a little imagination.

This post is a complete start to finish party idea with affordable and easy ways to accomplish it. I have included all the sources with links to the actual products or recipes.

This party is great for a young girl, teen, friend, mom, twenty something, bridal shower, adoption party, garden party, baby shower.....you get it.

Start with creating the birthday girl a beautiful headpiece. You can buy a wide headband from Claire's or any accessory store in a light blue, pink or white tone.

Next you want to gather embelishments. A great place is a fabric/sewing shop. Look in the applique department to find interesting pieces (don't worry, you only need a handful to cover the headband). Old jewelry or costume pieces from accessory shops are great too.

The little bird and flowers can be found at Michaels or other craft stores. You can spray glitter to give it that vintage feel. Fake flowers can be fun too. If you do shop at Michael's be sure to print out the 40% off 1 item coupon on their website.

For the Happy Birthday wording, find a birthday card and simply cut it out and roll it up so the paper will bend a bit. Simply hot glue everything to the headpiece and have the birthday girl wear something to coordinate.

Create fun birthday hats and use them as part of the decor. Create the hats using heavy white card stock paper by cutting out a cone shape and gluing them together. You can buy individual pieces of decorative paper at Michael's for as low as .29 cents a sheet. Instead of trying to cover the hats entirely, using craft scissor cut out zig zags or lines and glue them onto the hats for patterns and colors.

Glittery paper can also be a fund addition too. Tissue paper from the dollar store is also a great way to add pops of color especially at the tops of the hats. Pom poms and other embelishments can be found at fabric stores, look for trims and buy in 1 yard incriments.

The invite.

I love this idea since I really think the invite sets the stage and gets everyone excited. This idea requires 10 white boxes, the size of a cake. Check here, with a bakery or at a box store. You can have the invite printed on a small 3x5 card - front and back to give details about the party. These fun baby shower invites give double meaning to the word pop. You can find them here.

The day you plan to pass out the invites you can go to party city or a local flower shop with the invites printed. You will purchase balloons and before they blow them up insert the invite by rolling it up and sticking it inside. Once the ballon is inflated tie it off and place inside the box.

You can use some of the leftover cardstock from the party hats to make small inserts with a needle attached and a cut saying like "pop me" and place them inside the box.

If you don't want to use the box you can also order custom printed balloons and adhere them to colorful cardstock paper layered in fun colors. The balloons are about $50 for 50. You can find them here or look online.

So, what to do about food? I love a sweets station and it really doubles as decor too. How to create one of those stunning dessert stations we see everywhere? Keep going.

You want to create a backdrop so the sweets station doesn't appear to be just a cluster of plates.

A background can be sheets of wrapping paper, fabric, and even a shower curtain.

. A great source for unique wrapping paper if Paper Source. You can also find fabric or even decorative panels from places like Target. You can drop a shower rod from the ceiling with fishing line to hang it. If using fabric no need to sew, just buy hem tape from Target and iron on a hem creating a rod pocket. If using paper add tacky glue that rubs off when done. Be sure to keep the mechanics clean and neat.

Now that you have a background you want to be sure to use the colors in the theme as often as possible. A fun thing is plastic spoons filled with chocolate and decorated with candies and sprinkles. Get the detailed instructions and supplies needed here. Arrange these on the sweets bar in front of higher pieces.

Fill cute little glass bottles and striped straws with things like lemonade or strawberry milk. You can buy frapachino bottles in 6 packs from the grocery store and empty the coffee into ice trays for iced coffee later on. Soak the bottles in hot water to get the adhesive labels off. You can find 25 straws for $6.00 here or on Amazon in a variety of colors. Since this is a cheap way to have some repetition, consider framing the back or sides of the table.

Petit fors are beautiful to have on a dessert station. You can stack them high in pyramid formations. Be sure to mirror things on the station to really frame it in. Consider doing two cake plates with petit fors on each side with the birthday cake as the center. No need to spend tons of money at a bakery. You can make petit fors at home using pound cake. Find the recipe here.

Look for interesting cake plates at thrift stores or hot glue a candlestick to a plate from the dollar store and spray paint. To get the wider base look you can use glasses or vases.

This is a great mess free way to spray paint.

As for a cake I love the idea of a rainbow cake. This is by far the greatest tasting cake on earth. It can seem a bit daunting to make but trust me, you will be so happy you did. You can find the recipe here. You must buy gel food coloring and not the typical store bought liquid type. Experiment with color combo's to make different shades and colors.

To make the flag bunting simply cut out small diamonds from left over craft paper from the party hats. Using bakers twine or even yarn, fold each diamond over the paper and add a glue drop. Be sure to arrange a pattern before you start. You can find adhesive letters in the scrapbook section at any craft store.

For added decor these paper pin wheels are a fun and cheap way to bring in some color.

Available in all sorts of colors from TomCat Studios, each just $2.50. Be sure to check size when ordering hanging decor. These pinwheels are 14" and will take up some space so you don't need too many.

And last but not least are favor bags. I know this is the area you are most likely to cut out since it is after all a fair well gift. I am a firm believer in favor bags. It sends a message to the guest that you value their time and friendship. And how many chances do we get in life to really say that? Parties are about celebrating life with people you care about so why not make the final step by sending them home with something thoughtful. Notice I did not say expensive. These paper chevron bags are $3.50 for 12 from TomCat Studios and come in tons of colors. You can fill them homemade cookies and a simple note saying "thanks for make my day even sweeter". Or anything else you can dream up.

So now you have no excuse not have a magazine worthy party. If you need any more sources please don't hesitate to contact me. Good luck and let the planning begin.

Monday, August 1, 2011

There is something magical about getting married in the woods. This is a great wedding that blends well with nature while keeping the aesthetic personal and sunny. I love the vintage piano (but feel horrible for who was in charge of moving it). The brides sparkly shoes looked great with her knee length dress and provided a little glamour. Great outdoor woodsy magical wedding with tons of details. I found some amazing places while driving around Back Mountain where I would love to design a wedding. Complete with the sound of running streams and green trees.

Oh Succulents, how I adore thee. I began to admire you from the Florida coast when a cute little old lady ordered hundreds of you to cover her beach side cottage front yard. I am amazed at your versatility to be both plant and flower. You are tough and fragile and so very interesting to gaze upon. I hope more brides follow suit and swap out your beautiful buds for those overly feminine rose boutonnieres.

I hope to see the local NEPA brides start using something as natural as these tiny gems. I visited my new favorite store this weekend outside of Philadelphia, Terrain. This former nursery turned ultra chic garden, farm to table cafe and lifestyle store had succulents bursting at the seams. I loved the tones of deep purple, great for an outdoor Hillside Farm wedding.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

We have been touring through Pennsylvania seeking some farm land to both live on & open a wedding venue for all the city girls looking for some natural charm. I am in love with the back roads of PA - someone recently told me that Pennsylvania is known as "God's Country" & after miles of seeing it, I couldn't agree more.

Monday, May 16, 2011

I am missing the coast today. The East Coast is getting drenched in rain all week & my mind keeps wondering to the beautiful white sand beaches of 30A. Nestled along the coastal highway between Panama City & Destin, Florida is the most eclectic mix of beach cool & small town ease. An artist colony filled with boutique shops, raw oyster bars & the most amazing coastlines. I have to stop before I go insane & start calling the airlines. I will settle for these phenomenal photos captured by my all time photographer, Paul Johnson.